Time for non-homeless people to rant and rave

Nob Hill resident Erica Sandberg calls the city to report a person asleep on the sidewalk at Hyde and Turk streets.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

We’ve all done it — hustle past a homeless person who is clearly out of his mind, violent, passed out in a heap or openly engaging in illegal behavior.

Keep walking as quickly as possible. Avert your eyes. Nothing to see here. Made it safely past them? Phew. Now we can go back to thinking about what’s for dinner or that unbelievable thing Donald Trump just said.

It’s the standard practice, but one San Francisco woman says it shouldn’t be. Erica Sandberg, a personal finance writer, mom and Nob Hill resident, says that the city has “reached the boiling point” when it comes to homelessness and unsavory street behavior — and that simply ignoring it can no longer be the answer.

Instead, she recently instigated a meeting of concerned neighbors and a police sergeant to come up with a list of common sights on the street and phone numbers residents should call when they see them.

If she had her druthers, you’d call the appropriate city official every time you see somebody ranting and raving, passed out, exposing themselves, panhandling in a threatening way or engaging in any other questionable behavior that bothers you.

“It creates this atmosphere that’s horrific that nobody wants to live in,” Sandberg said. “Let’s face it — that person doesn’t want to live in it either. They don’t look happy. They look miserable.”

And not calling?

“That’s saying, ‘Hey, I don’t care. I don’t care about you. I don’t care about my community,’” she said.

Tired of complacency

Not only will calling — and calling and calling — possibly get the homeless person help, she said, but it will remind city officials of what a huge problem they have. It also gives regular citizens who are working here, raising families here and paying taxes here a tiny bit of power to say, “This isn’t OK.”

Syringes in United Nations Plaza are evidence of the increasing drug problem among street people.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

“I’m so tired of the complacency, of people saying, ‘There’s nothing we can do,’” Sandberg said. “The one thing we can do is make noise.”

There is certainly no shortage of opportunities to make those calls. Recently released figures from a one-night tally in January showed there are 6,686 homeless people in San Francisco, 250 more than were counted two years ago.

The street population is older, more mentally ill, sicker and experiencing more problems with drugs and alcohol than in years past, the count showed. That may explain the sense many San Franciscans have that the street population has become more menacing.

3of4Erica Sandberg talks about the diversity of Market Street.Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

4of4Erica Sandberg shows the bolts on the abandoned flower kiosk sharing ideas on possible uses on Market near Powell streets in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, August 17, 2015.Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

On a recent afternoon, we joined Sandberg for a walk from her Nob Hill apartment down Hyde Street, through U.N. Plaza and along Mid-Market.

At the corner of Hyde and Turk streets, a man was sprawled on the sidewalk, his face hidden under a ball cap and his legs askew. It was hard to tell if he was taking a nap, passed out from drugs or alcohol — or worse.

“I don’t know if he’s dead or alive,” Sandberg said. Once his fingers started tapping, it was clear he was alive so this was a call for the Homeless Outreach Team and not 911. Sandberg walked a few feet away, whipped out her phone and left a voice mail.

In U.N. Plaza, a man stood swaying, his arms and legs appearing very weak and his head drooping. Sandberg thought he might be overdosing on heroin, but there were several police officers around so it seemed strange to call the police.

A woman — it was unclear whether she was a friend of the man’s or a social worker— told police she would take care of the man and ushered him away.

These were mild situations compared to others Sandberg has seen recently. There was the woman who appeared to be in her 90s begging on the sidewalk. People openly smoking crack. Somebody passed out with his pants around his ankles. A man defecating in the middle of Market Street as cars swerved around him.

Huge number of calls

We initially thought that some city officials might find Sandberg’s approach annoying and that homeless advocates might consider it harsh. But everybody actually agreed that, in a city with a huge homeless problem, it’s worth a try.

The frightening part is the sheer number of calls about homeless people the San Francisco Police Department already receives. In July alone, citizens or officers themselves initiated 4,563 calls with the radio code 915, meaning it’s related to homelessness, according to Lt. Michael Nevin who oversees the 26 district officers who perform homeless outreach and serves as a liaison to City Hall.

Calls to the police related to homelessness are way up. From 2011 to 2014, they rose a whopping 67 percent. So could the department handle even more? Yes, Nevin said.

“People checking on other people — that’s just part of being a human being,” he said. “Certainly we depend on good Samaritans to be our eyes and ears.”

Erica Sandberg talks with SFPD Officer Cuadro in U.N. Plaza.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Bevan Dufty, the mayor’s point man on homelessness, agreed.

“I do encourage people to document what they see,” he said. “That information is gold and it really can jump-start an outreach worker or other city official.”

Dufty and Nevin both stressed that people shouldn’t put themselves in danger. Dufty emphasized that taking a cell phone photo of a homeless person in an in-your-face way is definitely not a good idea. Move a little ways away and then make the call.

But surely Jennifer Friedenbach, director of the Coalition on Homelessness, would discourage all this phone calling, right? Nope.

“I think it’s great,” she said, though she stressed the city’s Hot Team and the Mobile Crisis Treatment Team should be called instead of police.

She added, though, that a deluge of calls would probably lead to some frustration because the city’s outreach teams are underfunded.

The Homeless Outreach Team no longer has much in the way of housing or shelter beds to offer because the system is so full and has switched to offering street medicine. Brenda Meskan, the team’s interim director, said the 54-member team has just 40 shelter beds to offer each day.

Case management and medical care are offered on the street, but then the homeless person is usually left there, she said. The team received 1,200 calls in July and said the number is trending up, like the police calls.

Erica Sandberg (middle) talks with police officers at U.N. Plaza.

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

The Mobile Crisis Treatment Team deals with more acute psychiatric crises, but has a small staff and doesn’t work overnight.

“Most of the time, you’re going to be out of luck,” Friedenbach said. “It has to go to the next step. When there aren’t enough services available, contact City Hall.”

So if Dufty, the police department and homeless advocates agree with Sandberg, maybe she’s on to something? She sure hopes so — for the sake of her beloved city.

“It’s important to protect what’s beautiful and precious,” Sandberg said. “It’s an amazing city — don’t let it go down the toilet. For God’s sake, expect more.”

Erica Sandberg and San Francisco police put together a list of common homeless scenarios and where to report them. A call to the city’s general number — 311 —can get the problem routed to the correct team.

Unconscious people: Call 911 and the Homeless Outreach Team at (415) 734-4233.

Public drug dealing, drug use or inebriation: This is a crime, but reporting it is a personal decision. Some people aren’t bothered by it. If you are, call the police nonemergency line at (415) 553-0123.

Erratic or threatening behavior: If the person appears to be in danger, call 911. If they appear to be mentally ill but not posing a danger, call the Mobile Crisis Treatment Team at (415) 970-4000.

Aggressive panhandling: Begging is legal. Harassing or stalking is not. Call 911 or the police nonemergency line depending on the severity.

Nudity: Whether the person is intentionally exposing himself or is so out of it he doesn’t realize he’s exposed, it’s illegal. Call the police nonemergency line.

Urinating or defecating on the street: It’s illegal, but it’s also a personal decision about whether to report. Urinating in an alley because there aren’t enough public toilets is one thing, but defecating and public exposure in the middle of Market Street is another. Any of the aforementioned numbers could be appropriate depending on the situation.

Heather Knight is a columnist working out of City Hall and covering everything from politics to homelessness to family flight and the quirks of living in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. She believes in holding politicians accountable for their decisions or, often, lack thereof – and telling the stories of real people and their struggles.